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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · mine · calf · degree · face · lie · stem · stand

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — an amount
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lie — to recline
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com